The following sermon outline was originally preached by Pastor Joe Hamilton at First Baptist Church on August 10, 1997.

INTRODUCTION :
I personally am a total abstainer from alcohol as a beverage. I do not believe that Christians should participate in what many call social drinking nor do I believe that the bible teaches temperance concerning strong drink. At times it seems that we live in a completely drunken society. Alcohol has brought much heartache, sorrow and death to the families of our nation.

Some Christians would go as far as to ask why God made alcohol if we are not to drink it. I would remind you that God also made cyanide and arsenic as well as other substances that if ingested in any substantial quantity will kill a man. Everything that God made has a purpose but men through the wickedness of their hearts often abuse what God has given to us.

Every time in the bible that strong drink was used it meant trouble. There was never a blessing or good end result of the use of alcohol in biblical accounts. Noah was abused and taken advantage of by his own son when he was rendered helpless by strong drink.

I have often found it to be true that many individuals that defend social drinking have a personal drinking problem or weakness concerning alcohol.

I make no bones about it and do not intend to mince words. I am an absolute abstainer from the sale and use of alcohol as an intoxicating beverage. A christian that desires to be in agreement with his(her) covenant agreement at First Baptist Church could not in good conscience stand behind the grocery/gas counter and sell booze.

This Booklet is presented in the form of an extended sermon outline. It is in no way intended to be a comprehensive study. There are many more passages of scripture concerning both wine and strong drink than I can or will present here. This is a subject we have also done more detailed studies on here at the church. I recommend Dr. William Kanoy’s book on Wine which is available through the Fellowship Tract League in Lebanon Ohio.

What The Bible Says About Strong Drink
(Hab. 2:5)-Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TELL US ABOUT ALCOHOLIC DRINK ?
I. PRIESTS COULDN’T TOUCH IT
(Lev 10:9)-Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:

A. What about the Priesthood of every believer ?

God’s most Holy & Spiritual men in the Old-Testament abstained & Spiritual men today do too ! The bible encourages sober minds and hearts. Our minds are much more sober for worship and prayer without the influence of alcohol.(1 Tim. 3:11 ; Titus 2:2-6)

II. NAZARITES COULDN’T TOUCH IT
(Num 6:3)-He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.

All that people want to talk about concerning Sampson is that he couldn’t cut his hair or he would break his vow and lose his power from God. What about the fact that if he had drank alcohol God’s Power would have left him too ?

I know we are not Nazarites nor are we under any such vow to do the things that Sampson did but we can learn from his example. Men often turn to the bottle to face the things of life when it is God to whom we must look for lasting strength.

III. THE WISEST MAN TO EVER LIVE SAID DON’T LOOK AT IT
(Prov 23:31)-Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

You Must Look before you Drink ! It is perhaps Solomon who gives us the most warning against the damage of men’s use of strong drink. (Prov. 20:1)

IV. KINGS AREN’T TO TOUCH IT
(Prov 31:4)-It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: (5)-Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

Strong Drink perverts good judgment ! There is no man living who cannot think better when sober. We can hold better to our various responsibilities with a sober mind.

(Isa 5:11)-Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

V. DANIEL WOULDN’T TOUCH IT
(Dan 1:8)-But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

VI. JOHN THE BAPTIST DIDN’T DRINK
(Luke 1:15)-For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

DO YOU KNOW WHY JOHN WAS FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND MANY OF YOU ARE NOT FILLED WITH GOD’S SPIRIT ?
(Eph 5:18)-And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

You must choose between God’s Spirit and the wine of this world. There are many things that falsely fill a man and leave no room for God’s Spirit. Wine is just one of many.

PEOPLE THAT DRINK ARE NOT WISE
(Proverbs 20:1)-Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

The opposite of wise is foolish. When someone tells me “I think it’s alright to drink a little bit”, I can’t help but think “What a Fool”.

DRINKERS LOSE THEIR MORALS AND CONTROL OVER THEIR TONGUE
[PROVERBS 23:29]-Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30-They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31-Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32-At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33-Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Strong drink brings Woe and sorrow according to these verses. It will cause you to babble. You will wake up with wounds and not know their cause. He says “Thine eyes shall behold strange women”. Many people have done things while drunken that they would never do while sober and some have a very foul mouth as Solomon says they will utter “perverse things”.

WE NEED MORE FAMILIES LIKE THAT OF RECHAB
(Jer 35:6)-But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:

It’s too bad more dads aren’t saying “NO BOOZE” to their families! So many are introducing their teenagers to alcohol. As a pastor I have stood over way too many caskets of those whose lives have been foolishly ended by someone’s abuse of alcohol. I have a personal friend who is in his sixties today but he lost his entire family when he was just a teenager in a head-on collision with a drunk driver and today he suffers the terrible effects that the accident caused to his own body and brain.

STRONG DRINK IS A THIEF
(Prov 21:17)-He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.
@ Take your Money @ Take your Family-Kids
@ Take your health @ Take your Joy @ Take God’s Spirit

I don’t have to rely on someone else’s statistics for this either. The families affected are personal to me. I attempt to counsel them as their families are falling apart and I often see a common factor.

There is no place in the Spirit filled Christians Life for Booze.
(Eph 5:18)-And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

What will you choose to be filled with friend ? If you choose strong drink, don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are spiritual. This world’s wine pushes God’s Spirit aside.

(ISAIAH 5:11)-Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! (12)-And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.

Wouldn’t your life be much better without booze? We need men and women to resolve to drive it from their homes. To never let their children or grandchildren see it touch their lips. Decide today that you too will abstain.

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